When I used to do nights out (many moons ago), I used to try and spend as little of my night out money as possible, as I wanted some financial benefit left for being away from home. Chatting to a driver last week he told me he spends all of his £25 night out allowance when away, which I found quite staggering. 
Question for you guys that do regular nights away. How much of your night out money do you actually spend, quarter, half, all?? Just asking out of curiosity… 
Bet she would be a bit rough for £25 
You could easily spend £25, if not more at a MSA overnight just in breakfast and dinner.
Depends if im running with a drinker or not 
just live how i’d normally do! if i wanted a chinky or pizza i would, or go to tesco’s and stock up. you’ve got to eat and you don’t eat for free at home, so even if you do spend the lot, you’d of probably spent getting on for half of it at home, so you’re still up anyway
When i did nights away the most important thing for sanity and well being was to get away from the bloody tin can.
So park up, a decent walk to a nice pub, a proper dinner, couple of pints whilst sitting quietly reading a good book and clocking the totty.
If a 12 to 14 hour shift can’t end in a good dinner, couple of pints and then a breakfast to set you up the next morning then the bloody job isn’t worth doing, i spent nearly all my subsistence too…every now and again i’d treat mesen to a budget hotel or B&B if i spotted one, so anything i saved on one night i overspent another time.
The bloke you spoke to last week had it right, subsistence pay is exactly that, its not part of wages (Christ but blokes who include their subsistence pay when calculating wages annoy the hell outa me) and the job should pay enough without having to live like a bloody hermit eating tins of Lidl beans and spending all ones life stuck in that tin can as unpaid security.
Sometimes spend £2 and others £60. Depends where I am and if I’m in a uni town/city and any of my mates are out student night all on company credit card, just got to keep the receipts.
Thank you mr bossman 
the only good thing about where I work is they pay for truck parking ( and they prefer it if you do ) and they don’t mind you getting your meal voucher with it and adding it on the bill. so I spend my £25 on beer at the weekend. I know a guy at our place who doesn’t tell his missis you get £25 pound cash in hand for a night out and he was going nuts when they said would it be ok if we started having it paid into your bank every month with your wagers ( tax free of course ) it wouldn’t bother me but I see why he and others wouldn’t like it…
most of it really if not while away almost certainly before going you need to take food if you’re self sufficient and some cash to carry with you.
I spend 30 quid a week on food supplies and that can last 4 nights some times I’ll only take 3 meals and have a pub dinner one night. Have gone weeks spending only 10 quid before and others spending 150 as I’m running with lads who like pub and kebab dinners
Don’t like to spend more then 50 quid though what I don’t spend goes to a pub at the weekend or buys my daughter something. Don’t have a set routine just go with it and if I spend 150 in a week away only 50 came out my wages so it’s not that bad for an extended social life my mrs certainly wouldn’t let me get away with if I was home every night
Juddian:
When i did nights away the most important thing for sanity and well being was to get away from the bloody tin can.So park up, a decent walk to a nice pub, a proper dinner, couple of pints whilst sitting quietly reading a good book and clocking the totty.
If a 12 to 14 hour shift can’t end in a good dinner, couple of pints and then a breakfast to set you up the next morning then the bloody job isn’t worth doing, i spent nearly all my subsistence too…every now and again i’d treat mesen to a budget hotel or B&B if i spotted one, so anything i saved on one night i overspent another time.
The bloke you spoke to last week had it right, subsistence pay is exactly that, its not part of wages (Christ but blokes who include their subsistence pay when calculating wages annoy the hell outa me) and the job should pay enough without having to live like a bloody hermit eating tins of Lidl beans and spending all ones life stuck in that tin can as unpaid security.
+1
As I have said, lots of times before “night out” pay is NOT part of your wage.
So most weeks when I did nights out I would spend all of it and sometimes when I was
running with other lads I would spend a lot more.
I take a tray (like a chep one ) of provisions with me, some home made chili/curry etc, I’ll take a mutipack of crisps some chocolate bars, juice water, a few tinnies etc, then if I fancy something else one night say pizza or a McDonald’s breakfast or a carvery or a steak meal I’ll have one, I generally don’t spend more than £30 whilst on the road, the wife spends the rest
Officially all of it, as it’s to cover expenses and anything left should be given back to your employer. Actually, about half.
Mollys_Dad:
Officially all of it, as it’s to cover expenses and anything left should be given back to your employer. Actually, about half.
You don’t have to give any unspent night out money back to your employer, you are at liberty to spend all of it or none of it on expenses. Personally, I self-cater and only very occasionally have a sit-down meal but I still claim the maximum night-out money. I also claim the mid-day meal allowance of £2 per day, even though I never have a paid-for mid-day meal.
I always regarded night out money as part of my wage, otherwise there would have been no point in doing it over local work. I too used to take a bag of food to cover the next day and would make a fresh flask up at my first drop of the next day.
I reckon the foreign lorry drivers have the right idea with camping stoves permanently carried in the side lockers and fry ups in the lay-by’s complete with little chair and table.
Mike-C:
Juddian:
When i did nights away the most important thing for sanity and well being was to get away from the bloody tin can.So park up, a decent walk to a nice pub, a proper dinner, couple of pints whilst sitting quietly reading a good book and clocking the totty.
If a 12 to 14 hour shift can’t end in a good dinner, couple of pints and then a breakfast to set you up the next morning then the bloody job isn’t worth doing, i spent nearly all my subsistence too…every now and again i’d treat mesen to a budget hotel or B&B if i spotted one, so anything i saved on one night i overspent another time.
The bloke you spoke to last week had it right, subsistence pay is exactly that, its not part of wages (Christ but blokes who include their subsistence pay when calculating wages annoy the hell outa me) and the job should pay enough without having to live like a bloody hermit eating tins of Lidl beans and spending all ones life stuck in that tin can as unpaid security.
+1
+2
Harry Monk:
Mollys_Dad:
Officially all of it, as it’s to cover expenses and anything left should be given back to your employer. Actually, about half.You don’t have to give any unspent night out money back to your employer, you are at liberty to spend all of it or none of it on expenses. Personally, I self-cater and only very occasionally have a sit-down meal but I still claim the maximum night-out money. I also claim the mid-day meal allowance of £2 per day, even though I never have a paid-for mid-day meal.
Admittedly I haven’t personally checked with hmrc. The compliance people and the account at out place swear by it. They quote examples (also unchecked by myself) of tax inspectors in Devon investigating firms over night out payments, and prosecuted one for paying night out money for drivers on an overnight crossing. Apparently they had no expenses as a cabin and meal were provided.
Every week with our expenses we have to sign a declaration stating that we spend all of our night out money and will return any unspent. Nobody actually gives anything back and nobody actually checks what has been spent. They just say the declaration is to keep hmrc happy, keep your night out money but if anyone asks, tell them you spend it all.
Now as I’ve said, I haven’t checked any of this myself. But having been told to be careful of hmrc with left over night out money, I am. Just passing that on.
Mollys_Dad:
Admittedly I haven’t personally checked with hmrc. The compliance people and the account at out place swear by it. They quote examples (also unchecked by myself) of tax inspectors in Devon investigating firms over night out payments, and prosecuted one for paying night out money for drivers on an overnight crossing. Apparently they had no expenses as a cabin and meal were provided.
Every week with our expenses we have to sign a declaration stating that we spend all of our night out money and will return any unspent. Nobody actually gives anything back and nobody actually checks what has been spent. They just say the declaration is to keep hmrc happy, keep your night out money but if anyone asks, tell them you spend it all.
Now as I’ve said, I haven’t checked any of this myself. But having been told to be careful of hmrc with left over night out money, I am. Just passing that on.
Christ there’s a load of bollox in haulage. No wonder agencies get away with telling drivers they’re better off on Ltd/umbrella.
Night out money is nothing more than pay which attracts a subsistence allowance which is a tax allowance on money paid out for subsistence up to a certain amount. As long as you get paid under that amount it is not taxed. If you get paid over that amount it gets taxed. HMRC are merely saying that money paid out by an employer to cover expenses for sleeping out in the wagon is tax free up to £25. Where you do come unstuck is claiming the £5/£10/£15 a day meal allowance when you don’t pay for a meal as you need a receipt as proof one was paid for. They don’t give you the £5 allowance for packed lunches or if you decide to skip a meal.
I am reliably informed that the Revenue are going to tax overnight expenses unless receipts for accommodation and food are supplied. This will affect those who park in laybys and Ind.Estates and cook their own food.